美国国家公共电台 NPR Bernie Sanders Calls For 'Fundamental Reassessment' Of Democratic Party
时间:2019-01-16 作者:英语课 分类:2016年NPR美国国家公共电台11月
Bernie Sanders Calls For 'Fundamental Reassessment' Of Democratic Party
play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0007:58repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser 1 to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
In Bernie Sanders' new book "Our Revolution," the Vermont senator tells the story of his life, his career and his run for the Democratic presidential nomination 2. And he spells out the programs he believes the country should adopt to combat such ills as inequality, discrimination, lack of opportunity, not to mention the burdens of college and health care costs. Senator Sanders joins us from our bureau in New York. Welcome to the program.
BERNIE SANDERS: Great to be with you.
SIEGEL: When the publication date for your book was set and when interviews like this one were arranged, we didn't know who would win the presidential election. I assume that you thought this book would be part of a debate over the future of a party that had won the White House and a majority in the Senate. Is that right?
SANDERS: More or less. Going into Election Day, I thought there was a 2 out of 3 chance that she would win. I wasn't shocked by Trump 3's victory, but I did think Hillary would win.
SIEGEL: She won the popular vote but lost. The Democrats 4 picked up two Senate seats. What should be the posture 5 now of the Democratic Party and people who voted for the Democratic ticket?
SANDERS: Well, I think, Robert, there has to be a fundamental reassessment. Right now it's not just that the Republicans will control the White House, U.S. Senate, U.S. House. They control two-thirds or more of the governors' seats in this country. In the last eight years, Democrats have lost some 8 or 900 legislative 6 seats in state houses.
And I think it's time for a fundamental reassessment. And I think what that reassessment has got to entail 7 is to understand that we cannot have a party that will win if we continue to become dependent on big money interests and campaign fundraisers all over this country.
SIEGEL: You and Senator Elizabeth Warren have both said you'd work with President-elect Trump, but you've also given support to demonstrators who've taken in the streets hoping to obstruct 8 a Trump agenda. What do you say to those people, many of them young people, who are refusing to accept a Trump presidency 9?
SANDERS: Well, it's not a question of whether you, you know, refuse to accept it or you accept it. It's a reality. But what I say to those young people is we have got to stand together by the many millions and not allow this country descend 10 back into racism 11 and sexism and xenophobia, to make sure that Trump is not successful in pushing an agenda which divides us up by race or the country that we were born into.
On the other hand, you know, Trump ran his campaign talking about he was going to be a champion of the working class. He was going to stand up to the establishment. Well, let me tell you, we are going to hold him accountable to that.
SIEGEL: Does the fact that he has named Stephen Bannon of Breitbart fame to a senior White House role, is that right there a sign to you that his administration will descend into racism, misogyny and the rest?
SANDERS: It is a very, very bad appointment. I hope he rethinks it. And I hope that he understands that in the year 2016, we are not going back to a society rampant 12 with racism and sexism and homophobia and xenophobia.
SIEGEL: Do you think you could have won, by the way, on November 8?
SANDERS: Well, the answer is, you know, who knows?
SIEGEL: You championed in the campaign and in the book, you championed the cause of free public higher education. And you've got a version of that pledge written into the Democratic platform. Given that you propose funding that by taxing stock and bond sales - something that sounds completely off the table with the Republicans who are now in charge of both houses and the White House - how do you proceed with advocacy of that cause when the plan that you have in mind seems to be a political nonstarter in Washington right now?
SANDERS: Well, what we do now is rally millions of young Americans who are sick and tired of leaving school 30, 50, $100,000 in debt - and those who simply cannot afford to go to college - and say that in a competitive global economy, it is absolutely imperative 13 that we make public colleges and universities tuition-free. And no matter how you fund it, it should be funded by progressive taxation 14, making clear that billionaires like Mr. Trump and his friends start paying their fair share of taxes, that large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.
SIEGEL: But how do you proceed with that? Do you do it on a state-by-state basis, for example? Do you have marches on Washington for free public higher tuition?
SANDERS: Well, I would hope...
SIEGEL: I mean, how do you deal with the fact that you lost the election on that...
SANDERS: Well, how do you deal with that issue is how you deal with all issues. We are going to have to raise public consciousness. We're going to have to - and what the political revolution is about. We've had some really good successes. Yeah, maybe a march on Washington. It may be bombarding your congressman 15 and your senator with emails, with phone calls to say, you know what? In America, people have the right to get a higher education, regardless of their income.
And by the way, maybe there's something wrong when we are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee health care to all people as a right. Oh, yeah, and while we're on the subject, how come we are the only major country not to provide paid family and medical leave? Oh, yeah, and maybe we should deal with climate change because the scientific community tells us if we're not going to deal with that, then the future of this planet is a very sorry future indeed. So...
SIEGEL: How do you understand then, if you - if those were the issues that you campaigned on - and by the fall Hillary Clinton had embraced a great deal of that language as well - how do you understand the defeat in the presidential race?
SANDERS: I'll tell you how I understand it. I understand it because there are a lot of people in this country - including people in the Democratic Party - who do not fully 16 appreciate the kind of suffering and pain that millions of working people in this country are feeling. You've got working mothers out there who cannot afford to pay 10, $15,000 a year for child care. You got working couples who desperately 17 want to be able to send their kids to college. They can't do that. You've got half of the older workers in this country, do you know how much money they have set aside for retirement 18 - nothing. They got nothing. They're scared to death.
And then you've got a guy named Mr. Trump that goes around and says, I'm going to champion you. I'm a friend of the working class. I'm going to take on the establishment. And the Democrats have not been as clear as they should be. Which is why I think we need fundamental reform of the Democratic Party in saying, yeah, no, sorry, we are the champion of working families and low-income people and the elderly and the sick and the poor. We are going to take on the billionaire class. We want you to participate. That's what we need. And I think a lot of people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, voted for Barack Obama 2012 and who like Barack Obama said, you know what, I'm going to go for Trump because he has been clear about feeling the pain of working families.
SIEGEL: During the campaign, you urged Hillary Clinton to release the transcripts 19 of her speeches to Goldman Sachs. In the book I didn't see mention of that campaign issue perhaps. Perhaps I did miss it. Since that time, WikiLeaks has released emails that include transcripts of the speeches. Did you read them?
SANDERS: Yeah.
SIEGEL: What did you make of them?
SANDERS: Well, you know, nothing. Well, not much in WikiLeaks really shocked me that Hillary Clinton, you know, was friends with people on Wall Street. Certainly was not a shock to me that the Democratic National Committee - DNC - was supportive of Secretary Clinton's effort against me, was certainly was not a shock. We talked about that during the campaign. But nothing really shocked me.
SIEGEL: But if, for example, her - seemed to be dismissive words about the Dodd-Frank financial Reform Act. Do you think if that had been made public during the primary season, do you think that would have affected 20 the outcome of the nominating process?
SANDERS: It could have. It could have.
SIEGEL: You might have won on that, on the base of those transcripts?
SANDERS: Well, you know, we came a very long way in this campaign. As you'll recall, when we started we were considered to be a fringe candidate. I didn't get a whole lot of media attention. So it's - Robert, I don't think it's worth a whole lot to be speculating on what might have happened. My job right now as a United States senator is to talk about the future and how we go forward.
SIEGEL: Bernie Sanders, thank you very much for talking with us.
SANDERS: Thank you very much, Robert.
SIEGEL: Senator Sanders' new book is called "Our Revolution: A Future To Believe In."
- View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
- I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。
- John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
- Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。
- He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
- The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
- The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
- The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
- He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣,摆出一副打架的架势。
- Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
- Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。
- Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
- This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。
- He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意,尽在暗里使绊子。
- The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。
- Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
- Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
- I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
- We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
- He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
- Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。
- Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
- You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。
- He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
- The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。
- He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
- The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
- He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
- The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
- He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
- He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
- She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
- I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
- Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样,都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
- You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书,你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句